Army doctor sues Boy Scouts alleging abuse

Drew Belnap poses for photos at his attorney Irwin Zalkin's San Diego office Wednesday. Belnap has filed a civil suit against the Boy Scouts, alleging a scoutmaster sexually abused him in the summer of 1991. Here, he holds a portrait of himself at 18, shortly after when he says he was abused, with his late grandmother Lola Belnap.ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SANTA ANA – An Army doctor who grew up in La Habra accused a scoutmaster of sexually abusing him in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday against the Boy Scouts of America and its affiliates.

Drew Belnap's lawsuit accuses the scouting organization of negligence and knowing but failing to tell authorities that Scoutmaster John Atwood, now a registered sex offender, was or may have been sexually abusing minors.

“Defendants cloaked within the facade of normalcy” their and Atwood's actions with Belnap and other minors, the lawsuit contends, seeking unspecified damages.

Belnap, 39, said he reflected on his own life and how he was affected by abuse after seeing reports on a court-ordered release late last year of long-secret files kept by the Scouts relating to charges of sexual abuse.

In a telephone interview from his attorney's San Diego office, Belnap said he chose to file a lawsuit now over a summer 1991 incident because he feels the organization needs to do more to protect children.

Deron Smith, spokesman for the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said in an emailed statement that the protection of youth is paramount to the organization, which “extends its deepest sympathies to all victims of abuse and to their families.”

The Scouts have continued to develop and enhance efforts to protect youth by regularly consulting with experts from law enforcement, child safety and other disciplines, Smith said.

Belnap, who is a scoutmaster with a troop in Colorado, accuses the Scouts of failing to take steps or put in place reasonable safeguards to avoid unlawful sexual conduct by Atwood, whom he came to know at 15 when he began attending Schoepe Scout Reservation at Lost Valley in Warner Springs in 1989.

The camp is operated by the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

The “environment at Lost Valley was conducive to the abuse of minors by adult authority figure,” the lawsuit contends, with communal showers for boys and men and alcohol allowed on the premises.

Belnap was 6 when he became a Cub Scout and joined the Boy Scouts of America when admitted to Troop 1871 in La Habra at 11. He became an Eagle Scout in 1991.

That summer, while driving Drew to the reservation, Atwood took the then-17-year-old to a desert camp overnight instead, the suit says. Atwood then got Drew drunk and sexually assaulted him several times, the lawsuit says.

About a week later, Drew told his parents, who informed police. Atwood, a popular Scout leader at Lost Valley, was later convicted of sex offenses stemming from incidents with Belnap and another boy, according to the lawsuit, and is listed in the Scouts’ ineligible volunteer files.

“Drew suffered horrendous abuse, all the more tragic because it was so easily preventable,” Belnap's attorney, Irwin Zalkin, said.

Belnap, who graduated from Sonora High School in La Habra, said he was an honor student before he was abused but did poorly afterward. He lost hope of getting into Brigham Young University and found himself on academic suspension after his freshman year at Ricks College in Idaho.

He managed to turn his life around, he said, after a two-year mission for his church. He got into medical school and then joined the Army. in 2000.

The veteran, who served a tour in Afghanistan, said he continues to suffer from the effects of the incident.

“I am vulnerable in the sense that I am still suffering despite my accomplishments,” Belnap said.

Related Links

Drew Belnap poses for photos at his attorney Irwin Zalkin's San Diego office Wednesday. Belnap has filed a civil suit against the Boy Scouts, alleging a scoutmaster sexually abused him in the summer of 1991. Here, he holds a portrait of himself at 18, shortly after when he says he was abused, with his late grandmother Lola Belnap. ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Drew Belnap holds a portrait of himself with his late grandmother at his attorney Irwin Zalkin's San Diego office Wednesday. Belnap has filed a civil suit against the Boy Scouts, alleging a scoutmaster sexually abused him. ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Drew Belnap poses with a copy of the court papers filed in his civil suit against the Boy Scouts, alleging a scoutmaster sexually abused him in the summer of 1991. ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Drew Belnap poses for photos at his attorney Irwin Zalkin's San Diego office Wednesday. He is suing the Boy Scouts, alleging a scoutmaster abused him. ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Irwin Zalkin, left, poses with his client Drew Belnap, who has filed a civil suit against the Boy Scouts. ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Former Boy Scouts scoutmaster to Drew Belnap, John Atwood, is highlighted in a group Boy Scout photo from 1985. ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Former Boy Scouts scoutmaster to Drew Belnap, John Atwood, is highlighted in a group Boy Scout photo from 1985. ROD VEAL, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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